Celebrating Jewish Life in Sarasota and Manatee Counties FEDERATION NEWS
JANUARY 2012 INSIDE THIS ISSUE: 9A 12A 14A 23A 24A 26A 27A 1B 12B
Local News Focus on Youth Community Focus Jewish Interest Commentary Israel & the Jewish World Life Cycle Jewish Happenings Recent Events
An Acoustic Evening
with Reggae Sensation
Matisyahu
Volume 42, Number 1
By Geneve Kallins, Jewish Federation, Israel Advocacy and Outreach Associate “I believe today that I am acting in the sense of the Almighty Creator. By warding off the Jews I am fighting for the Lord’s work.” “Anybody who recognizes Israel will burn in the fire of the Islamic nation’s fury.” Does any of this sound familiar? Sadly, it should. The aforementioned quotes are from two of the world’s most anti-Semitic leaders, Adolf Hitler and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. From 1925 to 1926, Hitler methodically mapped out his master plan as to how to deal with the “Jewish question” in his book Mein Kampf. Only eighty-five years later, Iranian President Ahmadinejad is making similar anti-Semitic threats as to how to deal with the Jews and Israel or as he refers to it, the “Zionist regime.” To put it bluntly, he is essentially vocalizing his plan to annihilate the Jews and our homeland just as Hitler had set out to do with the European Jews. A far stretch? Perhaps, some might argue, but just take a look at the similarities for yourself. When Hitler laid out his blueprint of the final solution to the Jewish problem, not too many raised a brow. Many mistakenly and naively thought he was a mad man; there was nothing to worry about; that it wouldn’t amount to much; or if anything, it couldn’t possibly happen to them. If history can teach us anything, it’s that it repeats itself. As survivors and as Jews, we promised ourselves
Sailor Circus 2075 Bahia Vista Street, Sarasota Tickets $36 • Students $18 with ID
A publication of The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee Klingenstein Jewish Center, 580 McIntosh Rd., Sarasota, FL 34232 Annual voluntary subscription: $25
Published by The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee www.jfedsrq.org
The looming threats exist … but what are we doing about it?
Saturday, March 3, 2012 Tickets available at www.jfedsrq.org
Celebrating 40 Years!
“
... By warding off the Jews I am fighting for the Lord’s work. Non-Profit Org. U.S. POSTAGE PAID MANASOTA FL PERMIT 167
”
“
Anybody who recognizes Israel will burn in the fire of the Islamic nation’s fury.
”
and those who perished in the horrors of the Nazi concentration camps and beyond, that we would never again let such atrocities and genocide take place. The warning signs are there, but what are we doing about it? Ahmadinejad has repeatedly denied the Holocaust. Perhaps even more disturbing is his adamant commitment and vow to “wipe Israel off the map,” and get rid of the Jews. Albanian Prime Minister Sail Berisha stated on November 30, 2011, “Iran and its leader, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, are the new Nazis, and the world must learn from the Holocaust and stop them before it’s too late.” Yes, a moderate Muslim, not a Zionist or a Jew, is responsible for this statement. So perhaps if a Muslim leader is aware of the dangers, we Jews and the world should take heed to these warning signs as well. To quote Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, “No one yet knows what awaits the Jews in the twenty-first century, but we must make every effort to ensure that it is better than what befell them in the twentieth, the century of the Holocaust.” This time, let us not wait until it is too late. Do not let the pages of the history books depict the Jews as sheep led to the slaughter house once again. Let us not abandon Israel when she needs us the most. Instead, it is vital that we stand tall and strong as a community, impenetrable by hate and plots of terror, to ensure the survival and a bright future for Israel, the Jewish people and all humanity.
See Section B for Jewish Happenings & Recent Events